Here’s what I wrote for the catalog: Bobwhites are birds of edges. There is no better place to look for a covey than an abandoned homestead with its mix of trees, broken fences, high grass and weeds. When I hunt such a place I’m always reminded that it was “somebody’s dream.”

Hats off to Chris Mathan at Strideaway! She did a great job getting to the essence of what I’m trying to do as a painter of sporting dogs.

sundown ducks from Eldridge Hardie on Vimeo.

The mallards, pintails, and widgeon came to our corn stubble fields these past few weeks on a regular basis. Whether they came before sunset and quitting time depended on the weather. We had about forty minutes of shooting one chilly, breezy evening. Then son Tom and friends limited on ducks and took four snow geese and two Canadas on a cold, snow-spitting day while I was out of town (darn!) A week ago last Friday, on a mild, sunny afternoon it came down to the last five minutes. We’d seen very few geese all day, but then the ducks began to fly. We had time to shoot three mallards, unload our guns and just gawk, and then I remembered to record this incredible sight. (I have to apologize for the quality of the video and my lack of skill. I’d never make a living as a camera man or narrator.)